In the October issue of Glamour, please check out my article on page 182 entitled “Your Breasts Are Not a Ticking Time Bomb.”  The goal of the article is to tell your average young women that when it comes to their fears about breast cancer, the facts are reassuring. For instance, while it might seem that breast cancer is striking an increasing number of women at younger ages these days, the truth is that the rate of diagnosis among this demographic has remained the same for 25 years. And the piece goes on to dish out the facts regarding three other major breast cancer “myths.”

But I know that previvors view breast cancer much differently than your average young woman. I know that many do view their breasts as ticking time bombs (actually, it’s even the title of one of the chapters in Previvors).

Many women with an average risk for breast cancer overestimate their odds of getting the disease. But while, say, a 25-year-old woman with no risk factors might be afraid of a disease that likely won’t strike anytime soon, a previvor often knows firsthand that, based on her family history, it very well might. Previvors have often lost a mother, grandmother, sister, or other family member to breast cancer, often at young ages. In fact, they’ve often watched several family members battle the disease. Many, like the women in Previvors, have said they feel like they were just waiting for breast cancer to strike. To them, their breasts were like bombs, which is why some seek options to “defuse” them, so to speak.

I think the take home message is that we all need to educate ourselves. We need to know the facts so that our “health choices aren’t dictated by fear,” as the Glamour article states. And we need to know our family histories and other risk factors so we can take steps to protect ourselves. Some women might have to consider taking more steps than others, but we can all take charge of our health by choosing empowerment over fear. We can take charge of a disease that has been winning for way too long.